Printing machine



Feb. 13, 1945. R. T. CASEY 2,369,433

7 PRINTING MACHINE Filed July 21, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 win/F701;

TORNE Y.

Feb. 13, 1945. R. T. CASEY I PRINTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1942 JJgENT oR.

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 13, v194-5. I T C Y 2,369,433

PRINTING MACHINE Filed July 21, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 6/ ENTGR. BY fay/1% ATTORNEY.

be printed upon.

Patented Feb. 13, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

2,369,433 rnm'rmc MACHINE Robert T. Casey, Forestville, Conn; assignor to International Business Machines Corporation New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 21, 1942, Serial No. 451,749

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a printing machine and its principal object is to provide a small portable machine capable of printing upon a sheet spread-fiat on a table.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a machine of the kind described in which the power for operating the printing mechanism is derived from a small motor. In a preferred embodiment the printing mechanism is operated by an electric motor under control of key operatedswitches.

The invention includes a new type bar move- .ment not necessarily limited to the particular application above mentioned.

The printing mechanism comprises a printing unit including a set of type'bars, the unit being constantly driven by a motor, the type bars being selectively cocked by manually controlled means and thereupon actuated for printing by the combined force of the momentum of the printing unit and power supplied from the motor. This enables a relatively small motor to furnish suflicient power for a forceful operation of the type bars.

Fig. 1. I

Fig. is a detail sectional view on the line 5,-5 of 3.

Figs. 6 and '7 are sectional views on the line 6-8 of Fig. 3 showing the type bar cocking mechanism in two different positions.

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram. Referring first to the general plan view (Fig.

1), the machine is housed in a casing l, the left part 2 of the casing containing the printing unit and the right part 3 enclosing the motor. A keyboard turret l is positioned above the motor. on the under side of the bottom plate I 4 (Fig. 3) are buttons 8 which suppOrt the machine upon meral. The machine is manually positioned on the sheet upon which the matter is to be printed with the aid of guides 6 on the casing which may be aligned with a guide line I previously drawn on the sheet. 1

In order to simplify thedisclosure, I have chosen to illustrate the invention by a machine designed for printing numerals, since this machine requires only ten printing members. It will be evident as the description proceeds'that a lettering machine or a lettering and numbering machine can be constructed in the sa e way. by simply adding the required additional printing =members and arranging the keyboard accord- .ingly.

The printing unit comprises .a type basket (Figs. 2 and 3) which in the illustrative example is'in the form of a horizontal disk in fixed to a vertical shaft H journaled in bearings l2 and I3 on the bottomplate l4 and a top plate I 5. The disk [.8 has a number of radial slots l6 symmetrically distributed around its periphery, the

number of these slots in the present example being'ten in accordance with the number of the characters to be printed. In the respective slots l6 are pivoted type bars I1, the pivot being formed by a circular wire l8 received in an annular slot 19 in the disk III, which intersects the radial slots l6 and passes through pivot holes inthe type bars. When the type bars and wire have been assembled on the disk, the wire can be secured by solder. The type bars are normally held in an idle position against a disk 20 pinned by its hub to the shaft H by springs 2| hooked into holes 22 in the type bars and corresponding holes in a flange on the hub of the disk 20. The shaft .II is rotated by the motor M through a train of gears including a spur gear 26'pinned v to the shaft ll, two idler gears 21 and 28 joura flat surface covered by the sheet which is to a The machinev prints on a line indicated by the dotted numerals 0, 1, 2, oneof the type bars being represented at Sin dot and dash lines in the act of printing the next nunaled upon bearing posts 29 and 38 fixed to the top plate 3| of the motor frame, and a pinion 32 on the motor shaft 24.

Fixed upon the bottom plate ll below the disk I8 is a cam 34 (Fig. 5)- having a substantially semicircular outer surface 35 and an inner S111? face 38 which starts from a substantially pointed leading end 31 with curvature gradually appreaching the axis of rotation of the type basket,

then turns at 88 abruptly toward the axis. The type bars have tails l'la extending down fromtheir pivots at an angle which travel around the 1 outside of the'cam 34, when the type bars are in their normal position. The; type bars can be selectively cocked by means to be described presently to shift their tails to the insideof the cam 34 just before they reach the leading end oi the cam. During the subsequent halt revolution of the type basket, a type bar so cocked first rocks outwardly gradually and, after passing the point 38 of the cam, is thrown sharply downward by the hooked end of the cam developing sufllcient momentum to strike against the surface being printed upon with a sharp blow, after the tail of the type bar has passed through the end 39 of the cam. The printing position of the type bar is shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3.

The mechanism for selectively cocking the type bars comprises a cam disk 40 rotatably mounted upon a post 4| on the base plate l4 and held thereon by a nut 42. The cam disk has notches 43 cut in its periphery (see also Figs. 6 and 7) to provide clearance for the type basket to turn freely past the cam disk with the type bars in idle position. Between the recesses 43 are camming points 44- which are Just long enough to turn in frictional contact with the disk 10, when the cam disk is given an initial movement. This movement is timed to occur at the instant when a particular type bar is approaching the camming point which stands in ready position, that is, the point 44a in Fig. 6. As can; be seen in Fig. 7, the following coordinated movement of the camming disk and type basket is accompanied by a rocking movement of the type bar, the edge of which normally protrudes slightly beyond the periphery of the disk Ill in position to be engaged by the camming point (as shown in Fig. 7) and rocked into alignment with the periphery of the disk. This rocking movement of the type bar occurs just before the tail of the type bar reaches the leading end 31 of the cam 34 and is sufficient to shift the tail of the type bar to the inside of the cam. ing movement of the cocked type bar then follows automatically during the next half revolution of the type basket, the power for the printing movement being derived partly from the momentum of the rotating unit and partly from the motor. The cam should be so shaped that.

the velocity of the type downward at the moment of impact will be greater than its horizontal velocity to insure a clear print.

The initial movement of the cam disk 4'0 is brought about'by a solenoid 50 mounted by a bracket 5| on the'base plate I4. The armature 52 of the solenoid is rockably mounted-upon a frame 53 and normally biased by a spring 54 against a set screw 55. Inward movement of the armature 52 is limited by an adjustable bar 56 on another part of the frame 53. The armature 52 carries at its extremity a spring pawl .51 which coacts with a ratchet wheel 58 fixedto the top of the cam disk 40.. The ratchet wheel 58 has twice as many teeth as the number of camming points 44 on the cam disk. When the solenoid is energized, the pawl 51 drives the ratchet disk 58 through a distance of about one tooth space which is suiiicient to bring the camming point 44a into contact with the rotating disk It. The camming disk then moves through another tooth space by frictional contact with the disk In and is finally centered by a spring detent 60 at the'next neutral position. The detent 60 holds the cam disk 40 against backward movement as the pawl 51' travels back on deenergization of the solenoid.

The selection of the differential time of enerization of the solenoid 50 for selection or a particular type bar is accomplished, in the pres- The' printent embodiment, by selectively closing circuits a commutator 62. mounted by screws 53 upon the top plate l5 in concentric relation to the shaft II. A spring brush 64 mounted on the gear 25 and grounded thereto travels over the segments of the commutator as the type basket H revolves. The circuit arrangement will now be described with reference to the wiring diagram (Fig. 8).

The wiring diagram shows the motor M connected directly across two line wires m, H which are connected to a source of current 12, 13 by a switch SW. One terminal of the solenoid 50 is connected to the line wire 10 by a wire 14, and

85, to which the other line wire II is connected by'a wire 85.

The circuit arrangement shown is merely i1- lustrative. It is designed for the combinational code operation of the keys A, B, C, D in accordance with the code table represented on the top plate of the machine in Fig. 1. One circuit through the system will be traced by way of example. If a 6 is to be printed, the code table in Fig. 1 shows that this calls for a depression or the keys A and D.. The circuit will be from line wire 10, through wire 14, solenoid 50, wire 15,

contacts Alb, Bla, 02a, D3b, wire 91, the 6 commutator segment 5|, brush 64, and wire to line wire I I The brush 64 will make contact with the 6 commutator segment 6| just as the tail of the 6 type bar is approaching the leading end of the cam 35. The solenoid 50 energized at this time will turn the cam disk 40 at the proper time to cause its point 44a to engage the tail of the 6 type bar and cock it to the inside of cam 35. The printing movement of the type bar will follow automatically during the next half revolution of the type basket.

Means are provided to ink. the type of any type bar which has been cocked and started on its printing movement. In a box- Hi0 mounted on the end wall of the casing of the machine there is a conventional ink feeding system terminating in a felt inking roller IN, a portion of the periphery of which projects from the side of the box I 00. The inking roller -lll| is so positioned that the type on a type bar which has been cocked will wipe upon it during the first part of the printing movement or the type bar when it is traveling over the gradually curved portion of the cam 34. By this arrangement, the type are inked only when started on their printing movement, the idle type remaining out of con-- the head I05 at its other end, biasing the head so that a detent I01 thereon is held against the back of the type bar I1. There are two type slugs I08, ")9 on the head I angularly related a pin H2, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, but

which can be rocked by an arm H 3 to the dot and dash line position against a pin H4. In the latter position, the Step III! stands in the path of a finger I I5 projecting rigidly from the type head H15 so as to rock the type head just prior to its contact with the paper. In the numbering machine shown in this application by way of illustration, the two sets of type would be two different styles of numbers, but in a machine for lettering the two setsof type would ordinarily be capital and small letters.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of "the invention as applied to a single modification, it will'be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the fol lowing. claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a printing device, a stationary cam, a

, type basket having a cyclical movement in relation to said cam, a set of type bars mounted on said type basket so asto be individually movable in relation thereto, means normally holding said type bars in an idle position out'of contact with said cam as said type basket executes its cyclical movement; and means to selectively cook the type bars into engagement with said cam; said cam being adapted to deflect any type bar engaged. therewith,.as.the movement of the type bars normally traveling at one side of said cam as said basket moves, and means for selectively throwing the cam follower means of individual type bars to the other side of said cam, said other side being shaped to cause a printing movement of the type bar as the basket moves.

3. In a printing device, 'a movably mounted in normal position; a stationary-cam disposed so that a part of each type bar normally travels along one side thereof; and means for selectively rocking the type bars to the other side of said cam, said cam being shaped to throw such rocked type bars to printing position.

5. In a device for printing upon a record sheet supported on a fiat surface, a frame having means to support the same stably upon the record sheet;

, a type basket movably mounted on said frame; a

set of type members individually pivoted on said type basket so as l to be capable of executing a printing stroke from a normal inoperative position; means to move said'type basket so that type basket; a set of type bars individually pivoted thereon; means to move said basket so that said type bars travel in sequence along a certain path; a normally idle element stationed beside said path adapted upon being energized to impart a cooking movement to the momentarily passing. type bar: selecting means to energize said element at differential times coordinated with the movement of said basket for selective coaction with said type barsran'd a stationary cam adapted to be engaged only by' cocked type bars and to complete a printingmovement thereof.

4. In a printing device, a type basket mounted for rotation on a ertical axis, a set of type bars pivoted to said basket so as to move in planes radiating from said axis from a normal upright position to an approximately horizontal printing position; yielding means to hold said type bars said type members travel in sequence: along a certain path in normal position; means to selectively cock said type members as they pass through a certain point in said ath; and means acting uniformly upon cocked type members to cause them to execute printing strokes such as to strike the record sheet adjacenta particular Point on said frame.

6. In a device for printing upon a record six Tet supported on a flat surface; a frame having means to supportthe same stably upon the record sheet; a type basket mounted onsaid frame so as to rotate about an axis normal to the record sheet; a set of type bars individually pivoted to said time basket so as to swing in planes radiating from said axis; means to rotate said type basket; yielding means normally holding said type bars in an inoperative position approximately parallel to said axis; means to selectively cock said type bars as they pass through a certain point in their rotation with said type basket; and means to cam down any cocked type bar so that its type will print on the recordsheet adjacent a certain point on'said frame.

'1. In a printing device, a printing unit com prising a set of type members having similar individual printing movements, a frame upon which said printing unit is mounted for a prescribed movement, in the course of which the set of type members travels in succession past a cocking station and then a printing station; means to selectively impart cocking movements to said type members as they pass through said cocking stapath by the cyclical movement of the printing a unit, cocking means to selectively impart a. cocking movement to saidtype members as they pass through one phase of the cycle, and means adapted to coact only with cocked type members to cause printing movements thereof.

9. In a printing device, a cyclically movable I printing unit comprisin a set of individually other phase of the cycle.

movable type members which are normally caused to travel in succession along a prescribed path by the cyclical movement of the printing unit; cocking means to selectively impart a cooking,

movement to said type'members as they pass through one phase of the cycle, and cam means adapted to en age only the cocked type members to cause printing movements thereof during an- ROBERT 'I'. CASEY.

which are normally 

